
^^^ /C^iett^^ ^■^ 



MESSAGES 



or 



GOV. ANDREW G. CDRTIN, 



KKLAXIVIS TO TU£ 



Reserve Corps, 



PENNSYLYANU VOLUNTEERS. 



Siogerly & Myers, State Fiinters. 



A 



C y.E/y^-'"'^^ • ^^tn/'-C'r^ 



MESSAGES 



OP 



GOY. ANDREW G. CURTIN, 



RELATIVE TO THE 



RESERVE CORPS, 



ul 



PENNSYLVANIA VOLUNTEERS. 



< . . - . . s ^ 



("^ U. S. > 




r 



' Y A \ 



MESSAGE. 



Executive Cuambeu, Harriaburg, Pa.,') 
January 12, 1863. j 

To the Senate and Eoicse of Representatives of the Commonwealth of 

Pennsylvania : 

Gevtlemex.- — In tlio annual message which I had the honor to communi- 
cate to the Legishilurc, I said : " In regard to the election of officers in the 
Reserve Corps and the recruitment of the regiments of that corps and of 
our other gallant regiments of volunteers, I proposed to send a special mes- 
sage in a few days." 

The 24th section of the act of Assembly under which the Reserve Corps 
was organized, is in these words : 

" Section 24. That the several companies and regiments composing said 
volunteer corps shall be entitled to elect, and the Governor shall commis- 
sion, offici'TS similar in number and rank to those allowed like troops in the 
army of the United States : Provided, That the Governor shall have pow- 
er to appoint and commission chaplains for said corps, and to designate 
their rank." 

And the act of Congress under which the volunteer forces were received 

into the service of the United States contains this provision .• 

" The vacancies in this force shall he filled by the Governors of the re- 
spective States in the same manner as the original appointments were 
made." 

In accordance with these enactments, the ofBcers of the Reserve Corps, 
at its organization, were duly elected and commissioned. After they had 
gone into the field, upon vacancies occurring, certificates of election were 
forwarded and commissions issued thereon until some time in July last, 
when an order was issued from thi' division headquarters, directing that 
thereafter elections should not bo hold. The reason assigned for this, as I 
understand it, was that it demoralized the corps and prevented, iu some in- 
stances, the deserved promotion of those who had won, by their gallantry 
in the field, such distinction. Lists of promotions made by the colonels of 
regiments, with the approval of the commanding generals, were forwarded 
to me, and feeling anxious that those who had been promoted should be 
commissioned at once, I asked the advice of the Attorney General, who, 



after examination, expressed his opinion (in which I concurred) that the 
officers could not be commissioned under the existing laws without elec- 
tions having been held. It was therefore illegal for me to issue the com- 
missions. 

Matters remained in this condition until the 10th of October, when, after 
the battles of Bull Run, South Mountain and Antietam, a list of promotions, 
rendered necessary by the casualties of those actions, was forwarded to 
me from the Head- Quarters of the division, through the commanding gener- 
als and the War Department, with the following endorsements, which fully 
explain themselves : 

"Appointments for promotions in Division P. R. V. C. 

Respectfully forwarded. 

T. SEYMOUR, 
Brig. Gen. Commanding Division. 
September 29th." 



Head-Quarters First Army Corps, ") 
September 29, 1862. j 

"These nominations for promotions are respectfully forwarded. At the 
same time I think it proper to observe, that the position assumed by the 
Governor of Penn.sylvania, that he cannot and will not appoint ofScers in 
the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, without elections, is one that he is sustained 
by the laws bearing on the subject. The act of Congress calling the vol- 
unteer force into service, says: 'The vacancies in this force shall be filled 
by the Governors of the respective States, in the same manner as the ori- 
ginal appointments were made.' Now, the act of the Pennsylvania Legis- 
lature, under which the Reserve Corps was originally organized, required 
elections for appointments to fill vacancies ; and under this law and the 
United States law, the Governor has decided he cannot appoint without 
elections. Whether it is competent for the United States to fill these va- 
cancies, without regard to the State of Pennsylvania, is a question I do 
not pretend to discuss or decide. 

GEO. G. MEADE, 

Brigadier General." 



Head-Quarters Army of the Potomac,) 
September 30, 1862. } 

"Respectfully forwarded to the Adjutant General, for reference to his 
Excellency, the Governor of Pennsylvania: Asa matter of course, the 



appiiintnients uiul i)roiiiotioiis must ]h' mado accordiiif;- to law. lUit, in 
wlmiovcr luodc tlify be madi', it is of tiic last ini]i(H-laiii-c tluil tlicy In; made 
at oiK'i'. 



By S. S. Williams, A. A. G." 



GEO. B. M'CLELLAN, 

Maj. Gen. Commanding. 



" ADJUT.4NT General's Office, "[ 
Octol)er, 6, laG-Z. j 

Respectfully refei-red to liis excellency, the Governor of Pennsylvania. 
By order of the Seeretary of AYar. 

THOMAS M. VINCENT, 

Ass't. Adj't. General." 



Ajrnin.on the first of December, I received the following letter from Brig- 
adier (now ]\Iajor) General George G. Meade, with the endorsement of the 
commanding generals and the War Department, which also explain them- 
selves : 

"Head-Quarters, Division P. R, V. C.\ 
October 20th, 1862. j 

"Brtg. Gen. S. S. Williams, A. A. G., Head-Quarters Armij of the Potomac : 

"Gk\f,r.\l : — Numerous nominations to fill vacancies in the several regi- 
menls of this division have been, from time to time, forwarded to the 
Haad-(4uarteis, Army of the Potomac, but no apiiointnicnts or commissions 
have been received in return. 

"As the condiliou of affairs in reference to this matter is anomalous, and 
likely to lead to confusion and other evils unless settled on some permanent 
basis, 1 beg leave to submit the following statement, for the information 
and action of the General Commanding, and, if necessary, the Dei)arlment 
of War : 

"The several regiments constituting this division form what was called, 
at its organization, the 'Pennsylvania Reserve Corps,' they having been 
organized by the State of Pennsylvania, under a special act of the Legisla- 
ture, for the purpose of being held in reserve for the protection of the State 
border, the Slate having, at that time, filled her quota of the call of the 
General Government for volunteers. 

"After the battle of Manassas, on a second call, this Reserve Corps was 
turned over to the United States, and duly mustered into service. The law 
under which this corps was received into service, is the act approved July 
22, 1801, amended by section three of an act approved August 6th, 1861. 
This last section states on vacancies occurring in the volunteer forces called 
into service by the act in ([ucstion, they shall be filled by the Governors of 
the respective States in the same ma)innr ax the original appointments were 
made.' The original appointments in the Reserve Corps were made under 



the special act of the Legislature, organizing the corps, which required that 
the officers should be elected by the men before being commissioned by the 
Governor of the State. 

For a long time, (up to last June) all vacancies were filled by elections ; 
the evils of this system, however, became so great, (resulting, in one in- 
stance, in a regiment electing as Lieutenant Colonel an individual who had 
only a short time before been discharged from the service, by order of the 
President of the United States, as incompetent to perform the duties of 
Major of the same regiment) that the Department of War requested the 
Governor of Pennsylvania to appoint to the Reserve Corps, the same as to 
the other regiments from Pennsylvania where commissions were conferred 
on the nomination of Colonels and Brigadier Generals. The Governor, 
however, it is understood, replied he had not thisjjower, and referred to the 
act of Congress requiring him to appoint in the same manner as the origi- 
nal appointments were made, and then to the act of the Legislature, where 
elections were required for the original appointments. The Governor also 
referred to the fact that he had requested the Legislature to repeal this pro- 
vision of the original act, and that the bill had failed to pass both houses. 
" I enclose herewith a copy of letter received by me last June, from the 
Adjutant General of the State, communicating the above. 

"By special order No. 221, dated ' Headquarters Army of the Potomac, 
Camp near Harrison's Landing, Aug. 1, 1862,' numerous appointments in 
this division were made, 'subject to the apj^r-oval of the Governor of Penn- 
sylvania.' The individuals thus designated were duly mustered into the 
service of the United States, have been paid and recognized in their re- 
spective commissions; but there is no evidence on record at these Head- 
Quarters, nor is it believed any exists, of their appointments having been 
approved by the Governor of the State, nor have any of them received 
commissions to this day. Since this order, no appointments have been 
made, though many nominations have been transmitted to the Head-t^uarters, 
Army of the Potomac, from whence, it is understood, they are forwarded 
to the Governor of the State, from whom no reply is received, he having 
defined his position. Under these circumstances, it becomes necessary 
either that the commanding General or the Department of War assume the 
authority to appoint to fill vacancies in this corps independent of the Gov- 
ernor of the State, or that a return be had to the system of elections, till 
such time as either Congress or the State Legislature shall see fit to amend 
existing acts, which I have to state, in my judgment, now compel elections. 
'■ There is a partial check to be found to the evils of the elective system, 
in the prerogative which the Governor has given to the Brigade and Divis- 
ion Commanders, through whom the certificates of election are transmitted, 
and who can disapprove and thus stop improper appointments, if they can- 
not secure the best nominations. 

" The ol)ject of this communication is to bring this matter to the notice 
of the Conmianding General, in order that the present anomalous condition 
may be changed. Very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

GEO. G. MEADE, 
Brigadier Gen. Commanding Division." 

" Head-Qcarters, First Army Corps,) 
October 21, 1862. j 
Respectfullv forwarded, 

JOHN F. REYNOLDS, 
Brigadier General Volunteers, Commanding." 



Head-Quartehs a rmv of the Potomac,) 
November 12, 1862. j" 

" Kospi'ptfully forwarded to the Adjutant General for the consideration 
of the War Department. 

■' It is not seen wliat ean be done in this matter, other than to ask of his 
E.xcclleney, the GJovernor of Penn.sylvania, to invite again the Lcf!;islature 
of that State to amend the present condition of affairs in the Pennsylvania 
Reserve Corps, by such legishition as may bo appropriate. This it is re- 
quested that the War Department will do. . - ^^^aJi 

" But how far legislation can effect the matter in a remedial way is^not 
clear. The contract of enlistment of the soldiers of the Pennsylvania Vol- 
unteer Reserve Corps includes in its condition their right to select their 
own officers. This right has been resisted because the corps would have been 
worthless were its exercise continued or allowed. The matter has become 
more complicated with each step that has been taken in regard to it. 

"Upon a review of the whole subject, I am now satisfied that it would 
have been better to have proceeded in the promotions in this corps, accord- 
ing to the laws of Pennsylvania (which in the earlier steps were not un- 
derstood) and risked the consequent mischief. They could not have been 
more threatening to the demoralization of the corps than the present condi- 
tion of affairs is in fact to its existence. 

A. E. BURNSIDE, Major General." 



"Adjutant-General's Office, "(^ 
November 21, 1862. ) 

" Respectfully referred to the Governor of Pennsylvania, whose atten- 
tion is earnestlj- invited to the remarks of General Burnside. 

By order of the Secretary of War, 

THOMAS M. VINCENT, 

Assistant Adjutant-General." 



To which I replied as follows: 

"tidn. E. M. Stanton, Secretary of War : 

" Sir : — I acknowledge the receipt of a letter from Brig. Gen. George G. 
Meade, who commands the division of Pennsylvania troops known as the 
'Reserve Corps,' calling the attention of the General Commanding to the 
anomalous condition of affairs in his division, and pointing out the difficul- 
ties likely to result from the election of officers, if continued, or rather from 
the present state of matters, (elections not being held, and commissions to 
till vacancies, not having been issued for want of them,) forwarded by Brig. 
Gen. John F. Reynolds, who commands the First Army Corps, and endorsed 
by Major General Burnside, specially requesting ' that the Governor of 
Pennsylvania invito again the Legislature of the State to amend tlie ])re- 
sent condivion of affairs in the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, by such Icgis- 



8 

lation as may be appropriate ;' and further, that the present condition of 
affairs threatens the existence of the corps, and a further endorsement, from 
the "War Department, calling my attention to the remarlis of Gen. Burnside. 

"At the last session of the Legislature a bill was introduced repealing 
the section of the act of May 16, 18 j1, under which the Reserve Corps was 
organized, requiring that the officers should be elected. It passed the 
House of Representatives, but failed in the Senate, and, while I feel a great 
delicacy in again appealing, to the Legislature for powers which are to ve.st 
in me, the wants of the service seem so imperative, and the recommenda- 
tions come from sources so distinguished, that I will, at the earliest moment, 
again call the attention ef the Legislature to the subject, and earnestly re- 
commend it to their early and favorable notice. 

"No one deplores more than I do the condition of affairs in the Reserve 
Corps. Owing to it, gallant and meritorious officers have been deprived of 
the promotion which their brilliant achievements had so fully entitled them 
to; but I trust it will be remembered that this is no fault of mine, and 
that I have always entertained and expressed a just pride in the name they 
have won for themselves and the State. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

A. G. CrRTIN." 



In accordance with the statements contained in the foregoing letter, I 
commend the subject to your earliest attention, and although I would gladly 
escape further responsibility in the selection and appointment of military 
officers, it is apparent that the recommendations of gentlemen who have 
had experience should not be disregarded, and that such legislation should 
at once be had as will relieve this gallant corps from further embarrass- 
ment, and place it under like enactments and regulations with those which 
control the other volunteer regiments from Pennsylvania. 

I beg leave, in closing this subject, to add copies of General Orders No. 
17 and 22, issued by me early in the year, relating to promotions. 

"Head-Quarters, Pennsylvania Militia,") 
" MarrMurg, February 26, 1862. ]" 

" General Order, No. 17. 

" All promotions of officers in regiments of Pennsylvania volunteers, 
wherever the Governor has the power to appoint, under the order of the 
"War Department of the 4th of May, 18til, and the act of Congress of the 
22d of July, 18151, will be made in the order of their seniority ; and all 2d 
Lieutenants will be appointed from the non-commissioned otBcers and pri- 
vates in the companies where the vacancies occur. 

"This order only applies to officers below the rank of field officers, and 
will be enforced except in special cases which may be presented through 
the Colonels of regiments. By order of 

A. G. CURTIN, 
Governor and Commander-in-Chief. 

A. L. Russell, Adjutant General, P. M. " 



"Head-Quarters, Pennsvlvania Mfi-ttia.'^^ 
" Sarriaburg, May 15, 1862. J 

" General Order, No. 22. 

"General order No. 17 of these headquarters is so modified that — , 
" I. All promotions of line officers shall be made in the order of seniori- 
ty in the com])anit's in which vacancies occur. 

" II. Sergeant Majors of regiments shall not, by reason of their appoint- 
ment as such, lose their right of seniority in the company iu which tliey 
were previously attached. By order of 

A. G. CURTIN, 

Governor and Commander-in- Chief. 

A. L. RusSKLL. Adjutant General." 



With reference to the recruitment of the regiments from Pennsylvania now 
in the field, it is proper to say that the ordinary means of securing recruits 
having languished and been partially withdrawn, and constant applications 
being made to me by officers in the field to fill the regiments, I addressed 
the President of the United States, on the 30th of September last, as follows: 

Pennsylvania, Executive Chamber, ") 
Earrishurg, Sept. 30, 1862. j 

"Sir: I have the honor to refer to some of the topics of onr conversa- 
tion last week, at which time you were pleased to say, that you desired the 
Governors of the loyal States present to put their suggestions in writing. 

"I proposed, at that time, to fill the regiments in service most reduced 
by the casualties of war, by retiring a given number from the more active 
service with the armies in the presence of the enemy, and having filled 
them and obtained a perfect re-organization, return them to the field and 
retire others until they were all filled to the standard establi.shod by the gov- 
ernment, in the meantime supplying their places in the field with new regi- 
ments I named ten regiments as the number to be retired at each time from 
this State. Most of our regiments that have participated in the recent 
battles are reduced to mere skeletons, and although we have furnished 
about l.'j,000 recruits for regiments from this State, no efficient strength has 
been given to any of them. 

"The Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, numbering thirteen regiments of in- 
fantry, one regiment of cavalry, and one of artillery, with a numeri(;al 
strength of fifteen thousand seven hundred ami si.xty men, were lakeii into 
the service of the United States in July, l.SfJl, ininie(liately after the first 
battle at Manassas. The thirteen regiments of infantry did not muster four 
thousand men after the battle of Antietam. All of these regiments are 
much reduced in number, whilst many of them can scarcely be said to re- 
tain regimental organizations. The brilliant history of the Reserve Corps 
in the war and the State pride which has followed them since they entered 
the service, together with the circumstances surrounding their organization, 
would, I have no doubt, prove such incentives to enlistment that the corps 
could be filled to the maximum iu a short space of time. 



10 

"I sugg:est that the corps be returned to the State, and placed in the 
camp at this Capital, and, if I am correct in my impression, the success 
would affect the minds of our people favorably, and other regiments in the 
service could be filled in their turn promptly. 

" It is proper that, in this connection, I should say that the sugg-estions 
reflect the opinion of all the officers of the corps, I take this opportunity 
of again renewing the suggestions of all the GoTernors on the occasion re- 
ferred to — that so far as consistent with the interests of the public service, 
sick and wounded volunteers be taken to the hospitals within the State 
in which they were enlisted. 

Very respectfully, your obedient servant, 

A. G. CURTIN. 

To His Excellency, A. Lincoln, Presideiit." 



Not receiving any reply to this communication, on the 9th of October, I 
addressed a similar letter to Major General G^o. B. M 'Clellan, then com- 
manding the Army of the Potomac, which letter was delivered to him some 
time afterwards; and I subsequently learned informally, that Gen. M'Clellan 
thought favorably of the plan proposed, but having immediate use for the 
troops, could not retire them at that time. Thus the matter remained until 
the 1st of January, 1863, when I received the following letter from Col. H. 
G. Sickels, who now commands the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps : 

"Head-Qtjarters, Division Penna. R. V. C.,") 
Camp near White Plain, Va., Dec. 26, 1862. j 

To His Excellency, Andrew G. Cubtin, 

Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: 

"Dear Sir: — General Meade having been promoted to the command of 
the Fifth Army Corps, leaves me as the only surviving Colonel of those who 
came out in the Pennsylvania Reserves, temporarily in command of the no- 
ble old corps. 

"The General, previous to taking his departure, wrote a letter to General 
Franklin, showing the pi-esent strength and decimated condition of the 
corps, and strongly urging upon him the importance of sending them back 
to the State to recruit and re-organize. 

"This I consider one of the most important steps that could be taken to 
preserve the original organization and their identity as a corps, in which 
the survivors feel and express so much pride. 

"I would further state that Gen. Meade has represented the corps in the 
most favorable light in point of its present strength. I am well satisfied 
that from the thirteen old regiments we could not take into battle at this 
time over twenty-five hundred, officers and men. 

"Of the 195 officers marked present, meaning all on special or detailed 
duty in the different departments included, and which could not be taken 
into the field, would reduce the number to 120. And of the 4,249 enlisted 
men, those included as teamsters, artificers, musicians, extra-duty men and 



11 

guards, besides an average of at least twenty sick in each reginu-ntal lios- 
pital, with an increase of double that nuniher in case of a inarch, would 
make a difference in the aggregate of from 700 to 800 men. 

"There is also another ])oint to which I would respectfully call your at- 
tention, viz : -Many non-commissioned ollicers liave beon promoted to the 
line for meritorious conduct in l>attle, who have never lieen commissioned, 
nor mustered into service as officers for want of their commissions; and 
in many instances these men are commanding companies. 

'"Of this class, several have beea killed, and many so maimed, that 
they must be dismissed the service, with only the pay and pension of 
a non-commissioned officer or private, when by noble deeds of valor they 
had earned for themselves and families both the honor and emoluments of 
commissioned officers. With this state of things, the good men of the 
corps have become indifferent and show but little disposition to run great 
risks, to do which is so essential to success in battle, feeling that there is no 
reward for merit. This would be remedied, were we recalled to the State 
and the line fdled with active and intelligent voung men. 

"I have written hastily, si-iving you some outlines of the facts, be- 
lievinjr that a period uf three months in Pennsylvania would see our ranks 
filled again to the maxinuim number prescriljed by law ; and I am confident 
that the Keserve Corps would re-enter the field with as much vigor and 
efficiency as when they first left the State. Believing it only waits 
your recpiest upon the War Department to consummate this arrangement, 
and with full confidence that a matter so important to our existence as a 
distinct organization of State troops will engage your immediate attention, I 
have the honor to be, with great respect, 

Your obedient servant, 

H. (}. SICKELS, Colonel, 
Commanding Division P. K. V. C." 



And the letter of General Meade, referred to in the foregoing, is as 
follows, viz : 

" He.u)- Quarters, First Army Corps,) 
"December 25, 1862. ]" 

"Major General W. II. Franldin, 

" Commanding Left Grand Divi^i m : 

"Gexerax: I submit for your consideration a statement showing the 
present condition of tiie thirteen regiments of infantry constituting the 
Pennsylvania Keserve Corps, and forming, together with two new regi- 
ments, the one hundred and twenty-first and one hundred and forty-second 
Pennsylvania Volunteers, the third division first army corps. You will 
perceive there are present for duty 195 officers and 4,24-9 (mlisted men. 
Absent, by authority. 159 officers and 3,740 men. I liave to observe, how- 
ever, of the number reported as absent, a very large proportion are the 
wounded, most of whom are so maimed and disabled that no expectation 
need be formed of their returning to active duty. I should therefore say 
as an estimate, that to re-organize the commanil there would be required 
the appointment of over 200 officers, and the enlistment of over 7,000 men. 



12 

This paper is forwarded to tou on the eve of my giving up the command 
of the division, to call your attention to the necessity of some measure be- 
ing immediately adopted to increase the efficiency of this command. 

"The plan of sending officers into the State to recruit has been, on three 
separate occasions, attemi)led, and proved in each case a signal failure. 
There remains, then, two courses to adopt. One is to consolidate the exist- 
ing force with a number of regiments equal to the number of officers and men 
for duty. The objection to 1his plan is that it destroys the organization and 
the prestige which the good conduct of the corps has acquired for it. An- 
other plan would be to withdraw the command temporarily from the field, 
say for a period of two or three months, and return them to Pennsylvania, 
where, it is believed, from the great reputation the corps has acquired, the 
pride the iState takes in it, and the enthusiasm its return would create, 
that in a short time its ranks would be filled, after pruning them of all use- 
less members. Soon after the battle of Antietam, his K.xcellency, the Gov- 
ernor of Pennsylvania, proposed to the General commanding the Army of 
the Potomac, to receive and re-organize the corps ; and it is believed the 
proposition was favoraljly received by the commanding General, but the 
exigencies of the movement prevented its execution. 

"The further reduction of the corps by the recent battle, where it lost 
over 1,700 officers and men, and the probability that its services might, at 
this moment, be spared, together with the earnest desire I have that the 
organization which has contributed so largely to its success may be pre- 
served, are the considerations which induce me to suggest this plan to you 
and recommend its adoption. 

Very respectfully, your ob't serv't, 

GEO. G. MEADE, 

Maj. Gen. Volunteers, 

■'Commanding Third Division, and, pro tern., the First Army Corps." 
(Official Copy. H. S. Jones, A. A. A G.) 



On the 2d inst., in compliance with the suggestions of General Meade 
and Col. Sickcls, I addressed the War Department as follows: 

"Executive Chamber, ) 

'' Harrisburg, Jan. 2, 1863. j 

"Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War: 

"Sir— I have received through Colonel H. G. Sickel, now commanding 
the division known as the Pennsylvania Reserve Corps, a copy of a letter 
herewith appended, addressed by Maj. Gen. Geo. G.Meade (lately in command 
of the division) to Maj. Gen. Pranklin, relative to the prospect of recruit- 
ing the regiments const. tuting the Pennsylvania Reserves to their proper 
standard. The facts so far as they are known to me, are so well and lucidly 
stated by General Meade, that it is unnecessary for me to repeat them. 1 
regretted that the exingencies of the public service precluded the return of 
the 'lie erves' to this State, after the battle of Antietam. as requested by 
me, and 1 novv desire to ask that the removal of that gallant body of men 
may be ordered to Harrisljurg and allowed to go into camp, say for the pe- 
riod of three months, for the purpose of full and complete re-organization, 



13 

and if not infcimpatihle with the jtublio service, would be glad to see such 
an order issued — feelinj? as I do, fully satisfied that in that time a sullicient 
number of recruits cv uld be obtained to refill the ranks, and to return the 
division to the array sti nijifthened and reinvigoratcd for future usefulness. 
I desire to say that if su( h order is promptly issued, the period of the year 
is propitious for securing recruits, and that every exertion upon my part 
shall be used ti accomplish so important an object, and thus add to the 
forces of the United States. 

Very respectfully, 

Your obedient servant, 

A. G. OURTIN." 



And deeming this a subject of sufficient importance, I despatched the 
Adjutant General of the State to Washington City, who presented the 
foregoing letter to the Department on the 3d inst., and received a verbal 
answer to the effect, that the Department, would consider the subject and 
give au answer in a few days. 

I have therefore delayed this message until this time, but as yet have 
not received any communication from the Department. 

You have now, gentlemen, before you all the information which is in my 
possession on this subject. 

It may be proper to say that the plan proposed by me in my letter to the 
President — and as to the successful results of which I then had no doubts — 
was to be extended to all the regiments from Pennsylvania in the service, 
and that the Reserved Corps was asked for, first, simply because these reg- 
iments were the first to enter the service of the United States after the ex- 
piration of the term of service of the three months regiments, and because 
it is now a question whether that organization — raised as it was by the 
wisdom of the past, and pressed forward at an auspicious time for the wel- 
fare of our country, is to live only in history, or is to be continued in our 
National defence. The statistics before you show the probability of its 
utter extinguishment, and I submit the proposition to return them to the 
State to be recruited as the only alternative which I can devise to secure 
their continued usefulness. 

I may have erred in believing that the vast army from Pennsylvania now 

in the field, could have thus been filled, but I can suggest no other plan for 

the attainment of this important object, and therefore submit the whole 

subject, with the sincere hope that the Legislature may be enabled, in its 

wisdom, to adopt such a course as will .secure to the gallant and patriotic 

men who yet survive, all the aid, success and promotion which they have 

so richly merited. 

A. G. CURTIN. 



14 



MESSAGE. 

Executive Chamber, | 
Harrishurg, January 14, 1863. j 

To the Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Penn- 
sylvania : 

Gentlemen : — On the 12th instant I had the honor to communicate to you 
a Message in regard to the election of officers in the Reserve Corps, and the 
recruitment of the regiments of that co/ps, and of our other gallant regiments 
of volunteers. 

With that Message I presented all the information then in my possession 
on the subject ; but since its transmission to you I have received a commu- 
nication from the War Department which I hasten to lay before you, and 
which is as follows : 

" War Department, • "[ 

Washington City, B. C, January 12, 1863. j 

" His Excellency, A. G. Curtin, 

"Governor of Penn.sylvania, Harrisburg, Pa.: 

" Sir : The Secretary of War directs me to acknowledge the receipt of 
your letter of the 2d inst., enclosing copy of one from General Meade to 
General Franklin, relative to recruiting the regiments constituting the 
'Pennsylvania Reserve,' and asking that the remnant of that gallant body 
of men be ordered to Harrisburg, in order to till its ranks. 

" In reply, the Secretary desires me to say that there are numerous ap- 
plications of this kind on file in regard to regiments from other States, 
which have been greatly reduced in recent battles. If one such reque.st be 
acceded to, all similar applications must be granted. This would so reduce 
the armies in the field as not only to prevent any further operations for the 
next three or four months, but to endanger important positions now held 
by us. The War Department has uniformly refused applications of this 
kind, and cannot at the present time adopt a different policy. 
I am Sir, very respectfully. 

Your obedient servant, 

GEO. D. RUGGLES, 

Assistant Adjutant General. " 

I feel it my duty to call the attention of the Legislature to the fact, that 
many of our regiments in the service of the Government have not been 
paid for a long period of time, and that many of the regiments taken into 
the service under the calls made in July last, have not received any pay, 
nor the promised bounties from the Government. 

It cannot be otherwise than that the families of many of the soldiers now 
in the service are suffering, — particularly in counties where arrangements 



15 

have not been made to pay bounties, or where the funds provided for that 
purpose have become exhausted, or the application of them has ceased. 

The families of the drafted militia, taken into the service of the United 
States, must be in like condition, and are equally deserving the care of the 
Government. 

I submit all these matters to the consideration of the Legislature, trust- 
ing that you will take such action as the helpless condition of those rely- 
ing upon the pay of the soldier and the generosity of the Government 
would seem to justify. It is clear that the citizens who go into the service 
of their country should be paid promptly : but even if thus paid, they 
would not, in many cases, receive sufficient to maintain their families. The 
highest obligation rests upon the citizens who remain at home to make am- 
ple provision for the comfort of those who have been left dependent by the 
brave men who have to encounter the perils and hardships of military ser- 
vice ; — and no subject of paramount importance can claim your attention. 

A. G. CURTIN. 



LiBRftRV OF CONGRESS 




